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NBA fans will chant all sorts of things to get into their opponents’ heads, especially during free throws.
Well, Los Angeles Clippers fans have decided to taunt the Portland Trail Blazers over the recent illegal gambling bombshell that led to the arrest of head coach Chauncey Billups last week.
Clippers fans chanted “FBI” as the Blazers made free throws during Los Angeles’ 114-107 victory Sunday night.
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Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups leaves the Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse after a hearing following his arrest on federal gambling charges in Portland, Oregon, United States, October 23, 2025. (John Rudoff/Reuters)
It’s been less than a week since Billups, along with more than two dozen people associated with a massive FBI investigation, were arrested for his alleged involvement in a gambling ring involving rigged poker games and sports betting.
Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and former NBA guard Damon Jones were also among those arrested by the FBI in two separate gambling cases.
Billups, through a statement from his attorney, denied any wrongdoing as he allegedly participated in the rigged poker games that the FBI investigated. He was charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering.
“Anyone who knows Chauncey Billups knows that he is a man of integrity; men of integrity do not cheat or defraud others,” read a statement from attorney Chris Heywood.
NBA HALL OF FAMER CHAUNCEY BILLUPS denies wrongdoing after arrest in FBI gambling investigation
“To believe that Chauncey Billups did what the feds accuse him of is to believe that he would risk his Hall of Fame legacy, his reputation and his freedom. He would not risk those things for anything, much less a game of cards.”
Heywood asserted that Billups “never has and will never gamble on basketball games, provide inside information or sacrifice the trust of his team and the League because doing so would tarnish the game to which he has devoted his entire life.”
Billups and his legal team intend to fight these allegations “with the same tenacity that has marked his 28-year career.”
Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups watches from the sidelines during the first half against the San Antonio Spurs at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon on April 6, 2025. (Soobum Im/Imagn Images)
The poker games were apparently linked to the La Cosa Nostra crime families, where Billups and Jones, nicknamed the “face cards”, were allegedly used as celebrities to lure competitors into the games.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) said that in April 2019, Billups was among five defendants who “organized and participated in rigged poker games” in Las Vegas where a “rigged shuffling machine” was used. A victim of the gambling is said to have lost at least $50,000. Another defendant texted another co-conspirator to tell him that Billups should deliberately lose his hand to avoid any allegations of cheating.
Also during that game, a defendant said one of the victims “acted like she wanted Chauncey to have his money” because he was “star-struck” by the NBA legend, according to officials.
Both Billups and Rozier were placed on immediate leave by the NBA last Thursday.
“We are aware of the allegations involving head coach Chauncey Billups, and the Trail Blazers are fully cooperating with the investigation,” the team said. “Billups has been placed on immediate leave and Tiago Splitter will serve as interim head coach. Any further questions should be directed to the NBA.”
Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups listens during a news conference Friday, June 27, 2025, in Portland, Oregon. (Jenny Kane/AP)
Billups is scheduled to be arraigned at a federal courthouse in New York on November 24.
In Billups’ absence, the Trail Blazers are led by interim head coach Tiago Splitter, the former Brazilian star of the San Antonio Spurs. The Trail Blazers are 1-2 to start the season.
